Emily Morrison lost her daughter Faith earlier this year. Resources from MU Health Care's Journeys program helped her grieve, she said, even with something as simple as a teddy bear with Faith's heartbeat in it.
"I have felt accepted and I personally would not have been able to heal the way that I have without being able to share," Morrison said. "I have to be able to talk about it and share my experiences."
Morrison was one of the people in attendance at this year's "Remembering our Babies" memorial walk at South Providence Medical Park on Sunday. MU Health Care hosts the annual event in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with this year being its seventh.
Along the way, signs offered support to attendees on the park path in any manner of loss they've experienced. The signs honored "babies born sleeping," "those carried but never held," "those we held but could not take home," and "those who came home but could not stay."
Journeys, the system's pediatric complex care team, organizes the walk to create a supportive environment for sharing stories, offer comfort and promote unity in raising awareness about pregnancy and infant loss.
"I always say that in palliative and bereavement care that we are not saving lives, we are improving them," Lacey Prater, a social worker with the Journeys program, said. "Even when a baby has passed away, there is still so much more that we can do to support that family, and that's something that we feel is really important."
Journeys provides support for children and families as they navigate complex medical conditions, and follow-up support for those who have experienced the loss of a baby or child. According to Prater, when an infant dies in an MU hospital, she is automatically able to enroll the family in follow-up services.
The crowd at the annual walk is not always the same. Prater said a mother once attended to remember a child she lost 30 years ago. The mother told her it was her first time publicly acknowledging their loss.
Various activities like a bubble wish station, rock painting, sidewalk decorating and hanging heart wreaths were all stationed around the path. Following the walk, the Journeys team hosted a service including a song performed by MU Health Care's music therapist, the reading of babies' names and a poem.
University of Missouri student Emily O’Donoghue passed out keepsakes and notes for the families to write about their loved ones.
"Obviously losing someone is super, super hard, so just being able to support them is huge," O’Donoghue said. "It means a lot to the families that come."
Journeys also hosts a "Remembering our Children" memorial service in April.
